comments: This pair of candleholders retain much of the shape and texture of the small, very irregular, tree trunks from which they were made. The New Zealand tea tree is fairly common in Southern California and grows as a handsome flowering shrub (white or pink) that can become a small, gnarly tree. Several years ago we were fortunate to swing through Mission Bay park in San Diego just after some serious landscape pruning that left lengths of tea tree by the roadside for trash pickup. These candleholders were cut from short pieces by removing the shaggy bark and polishing up the outer wood surface. The wood is very fine grained, hard and dense. I keep looking but the prospect of finding larger pieces seems dim. However, I'm delighted at the rich color and natural look this unusual wood achieves.